The Ventures/Days of Doo Wop

JOR176 · Dec 12, 2016

memory master said:
A good line-up there. Mostly local groups. Elegants are from Staten Island, Toys are from St. Albans, Tokens originally from Queens back in the day. How was the show Chief?

The Tokens were actually from Brooklyn,NY They met in Lincoln HS and started the group originally known as the Linc-Tones. Neil Sedaka was in the group, and their name was changed to The Tokens.Sedaka left and Hank Medress brought in Darrell & The Oxfords which Jay Seigle was the lead tenor and the Tokens with all the hits were this group. If you get a chance to hear "Picture In My Wallet" by Darrell & the Oxfords give it a listen I still have the 45. There was another group of Tokens that was a Black group from Wueens but not the group with Sedaka. I hope this clears it up Jack O'

68jk09 · Dec 13, 2016

Yes actually at the show yesterday Jay Siegel did while reminiscing to the audience talk about Neil Sedaka & his involvement w/the scene.....as great as Jay is his last name is the location of one of the greatest FH in FDNY History.

memory master · Dec 13, 2016

JOR you are correct about the Tokens and Brooklyn. The mind is starting to slip I guess. Anyway, 'Picture In My Wallet' is a great tune.

nfd2004 · Dec 13, 2016

68jk09 said:
Yes actually at the show yesterday Jay Siegel did while reminiscing to the audience talk about Neil Sedaka & his involvement w/the scene.....as great as Jay is his last name is the location of one of the greatest FH in FDNY History.

Thank you "JOR176", aka Jack O., for that part of Brooklyn's Doo Wop History. So many GREAT GROUPS came out of NYC with GREAT songs during those years. Many just started out by singing on the street corners for the pure fun and enjoyment of just singing a song together. I also was NOT aware that Neil Sedaka had started his career as part of a singing group as well.

I have seen many of these Doo Wop Shows myself over the years. And they still draw the crowds and still get a standing ovation for the great music that these groups were once so famous for.
(For me between many CDs of this great music and now FDNY online radio, "who needs those expensive cable TV channels" )

Chief "68jk09", yes, that FAMOUS Firehouse that was known as "The Siegel Eagles", quarters of Brooklyn's Ladder Co 108,...right !

Now for "JOR176", we take you back to your Brooklyn days as we dedicate this one to you. And THANK YOU for your years of Military Service and your many years as part of the FDNYs Communications system.

Jack, you are one of the GREATS so we take you back to 1959 with this one from us to you. Hope you enjoy it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VslecQLGFo

memory master · Dec 13, 2016

NFD, if you remember "Church Bells May Ring" recorded by the 'Willows' in 1956, the bells in the recording were rung by a very young Neil Sedaka.

nfd2004 · Dec 13, 2016

memory master said:
NFD, if you remember "Church Bells May Ring" recorded by the 'Willows' in 1956, the bells in the recording were rung by a very young Neil Sedaka.

Thank you "MM", I DO remember "Church Bells May Ring" and I was not aware that those bells in that song were rung by a young Neil Sedaka.

memory master · Dec 13, 2016

Just found out that Jim Lowe, who recorded 'Green Door' died yesterday at his home in the Hamptons (Long Island, N.Y.) at the age of 93. Jim was later a DJ on the old WNEW 1130AM in N.Y.C. The aforementioned record knocked Elvis out of the #1 position on the charts at that time.

nfd2004 · Jan 9, 2017

Another very famous group of the 1950s Doo Wop era was "The Diamonds". They were famous for such songs as "The Stroll" and "Little Darlin". I saw this group several times at some great Doo Wop Shows.

I recently found out that their lead singer, Dave Somerville, had passed away in 2015. He was 81 years old.

Here is one of their most famous hits which spent 8 weeks in the #2 position, but never got to Number One. All because of a guy named Elvis.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_JxwMcIbJc

memory master · Jan 9, 2017

Thanks NFD, great song, great group and great era of music!

nfd2004 · Jan 25, 2017

Sadly two members from the once famous Sha Na Na Show have left us in 2016. Lennie Baker and Johnny Contardo.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6Fklo8fVzA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcNldI0Q7o0

manhattan · Jan 25, 2017

Outta sight, nfd2004! Keep 'em flowin!

memory master · Jan 26, 2017

Ronald 'Bingo' Mundy of the Marcels passed away on 1/20/17 at Allegheny Hospital in Pittsburg from pneumonia. He was 76. He can be heard in the song "Blue Moon" right after Fred Johnson's bass intro, singing 'Moon moon moon.' RIP.
Additional sad news, 'Joey Powers' who recorded 'Midnight Mary' passed away also last week.

nfd2004 · Jan 26, 2017

memory master said:
Ronald 'Bingo' Mundy of the Marcels passed away on 1/20/17 at Allegheny Hospital in Pittsburg from pneumonia. He was 76. He can be heard in the song "Blue Moon" right after Fred Johnson's bass intro, singing 'Moon moon moon.' RIP.
Additional sad news, 'Joey Powers' who recorded 'Midnight Mary' passed away also last week.

Sad news to the Doo Wop Music fans. Thank you MM for that info.

Way back in 1961 the song "Blue Moon", sung by the Marcels became the Number 1 Hit. Over some 50 years later, these groups were still singing their songs and drawing big crowds.

This video will explain it much better than I can.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BziGPUGjhIE

memory master · Jan 31, 2017

On Jan. 29 radio great Herb Oscar Anderson passed away in Vermont at the age of 88. Some of you may remember him on 77 WABC AM as the morning drive time DJ. He always started his show with his song of "Hello Again" and signing off with the song that he also sang "Time." "Start Your Day With H.O.A." was the promo always used. I had the good fortune of meeting him one morning at about 0430 as we were sitting on Park Ave. and he came along to enter the building which housed WNH 1050 AM at the time. He graciously walked over to the ambulance and shook our hands and greeted us with a big "Good Morning." A real nice guy. While at his previous gig at WABC he always signed off at 0950 at he end of his show. Ironically, he passed on at 0950 this past Sunday. Rest in peace Herb and thanks for all the airwave Good Mornings.
If your interested, you can Google him singing the above mentioned songs. I'd post the links but as you know I'm computer challenged.

nfd2004 · Jan 31, 2017

Thanks MM.

Another loss to the Great Doo Wop Society.

JOR176 · Jan 31, 2017

nfd2004 said:
memory master said:

Ronald 'Bingo' Mundy of the Marcels passed away on 1/20/17 at Allegheny Hospital in Pittsburg from pneumonia. He was 76. He can be heard in the song "Blue Moon" right after Fred Johnson's bass intro, singing 'Moon moon moon.' RIP.
Additional sad news, 'Joey Powers' who recorded 'Midnight Mary' passed away also last week.

Click to expand...

Sad news to the Doo Wop Music fans. Thank you MM for that info.

Way back in 1961 the song "Blue Moon", sung by the Marcels became the Number 1 Hit. Over some 50 years later, these groups were still singing their songs and drawing big crowds.

This video will explain it much better than I can.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BziGPUGjhIE

The group onstage here the originals have civilian clothes on the rest are not originals,Freddy Johnson original bass still does a great job, the new lead does a great job too.

nfd2004 · Jan 31, 2017

Thanks Jack, "JOR176". A sad part of Great Music from a Great Era.

We also see that DJs, such as Murray the K, Wolfman Jack, Herb Oscar, have left us as well. These were big names in the NYC area. AM Radio Stations WABC, WNBC, reached far beyond the New York area.

For those of us who were around then, we all know how great a time it was. It was a time when guys just sang about their girlfriends. Or when the ladies sang about their favorite guy.

Songs like:

Ritchie Valens singing - "Donna"
Paul Anka singing - "Diana"
Randy and the Rainbows singing - "Denise"
The Beach Boys singing - "Barbara Anne"
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons sang - "Sherry", Dawn", and "Marianne"

So with the snow coming down here now at the Ole' Homestead in the back woods country of Connecticut, what's an old guy like myself supposed to do other than eat and sleep. Instead, lets get into some great music from a great time. I'm sure the Baby Boomers will remember these.

Let's start with the first two listed. Ritchie Valens - "Donna", and Paul Ankas - "Diana".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC9zULGSMyA

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HcxZwfAP8M

nfd2004 · Feb 1, 2017

This morning we got a little snow in my neighborhood so I had to go out there and shovel. While I was out there, my neighbor across the street was out there doing the same thing. He's a Doo Wop fan too and he told me he was going to the Doo Wop Show at the Mohegan Sun Casino in mid January. We don't live too far from there.

So I asked him, "how was the show" ? He told me to check out a video that has Jay Black, of Jay and the Americans, on it that was filmed at the show. So I did.

Jay and the Americans did some classic hit songs like: "Only in America", "This Magic Moment", "Cara Mia", "Come a little bit closer".

But Jay Black is now 78 years old. He still has some great and funny stories that he tells while performing. But this might be the last show that he does. I think after you see this video, you will understand why. It was recorded live on January 15, 2017.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aamJAVZin0U

68jk09 · Mar 4, 2017

LOUIES CANDY STORE CENTRAL & GREENE AVES 1954 (no one ever destroyed their neighborhood back then) .......

nfd2004 · Mar 4, 2017

nfd2004 said:
So the Cold Winter Blues got you down. Well lets get that blood flowing again with a little of your favorite Doo Wop from those Great music days gone by.

How about a group that formed way back in 1957 from the streets of Bushwick in Brooklyn. The group was called "The Fascinations" and they sang a song about a girl named "Rosemarie". I just have a feeling that this one will get those feet tapping and once again help to improve your circulation.

Okay, Tony and the Boys, "take it away".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2UEdtzKAdM

Chief that video you posted of Bushwick is GREAT. What a Great time it was and a Great place it must have been.

Of course my first introduction to the Bushwick section of Brooklyn was about 20 years later. It was so different then. Entire blocks were already burned out and that Bushwick neighborhood was one of the hardest hit arson areas in the city. Sad to look at those pictures now knowing how so much different it looked just about 20 years later.

But I thought we'd bring back that video of one of the groups talked about from Bushwick that made some great doo wop music. That group is the Fascinators.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2UEdtzKAdM